University of Florida

Zionist Gators is a new student led organization within the University of Florida Hillel that offers programming and engagement within the branches of Education and Advocacy, Hebrew and Culture, as well as Birthright and Study Abroad. Many students within Zionist Gators are also interns for organizations such as the David Project, Masa, Hasbara, WZO, JNF, StandWithUs, and Grinspoon. These dedicated interns provide a diversified agenda of Israel related programming, ranging from annual events such as Israel Month, to the almost constant production of speakers and lunch and learns.

While Zionist Gators offers a forum for such interns to engage interested students, it operates alongside UF’s advocacy organization, Gators for Israel. Gators for Israel is one of the strongest pro-Israel advocacy campus organizations in the nation and won the 2011 Duke Rudman Annual Leadership Award at AIPAC Policy Conference last year. Notable accomplishments from this year range from the successful passage of a Student Government Senate Resolution to hosting Reverend Kenneth Flowers and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Resolution 2011-138 regarding direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations was not only passed 66 for, with only 1 vote against, but was later submitted to the Congressional Record by Congressman Cliff Stearns.

With a complementary mix of Israel programming, every student on campus can find their place within the pro-Israel movement on the University of Florida campus and Hillel.